I will give you guys the full story as I am sure some of you will not agree with everything I have done, oh well.
I purchased a 2004 Mercury Marauder in December 2006 with 10,000 miles.
The original owner did oil and filter changes at 3000 miles and again at 8000 miles using Amsoil XL 5W-20 and NAPA oil filters.
I changed the oil when I got home since he told me the car had not been driven much in the last 5 months, I added Amsoil 5W-20 and a Amsoil EaO oil filter.
At 15,000 miles I added Amsoil 0W-20 and a EaO oil filter with a Maintenance Dose of auto-rx.
At 20,000 miles I changed the oil and it was pretty dark compared to the oil that I changed out at 15,000 miles and the oil filter was heavy. So I added Amsoil 0W-20 and another EaO oil filter followed by a Maintenance Dose of auto-rx.
At 26,000 miles I changed the oil and filter and the oil was very dark as well as the oil filter being fairly heavy.
I added the Amsoil 0W-20 and another Eao Oil filter and added a Maintenance Dose of auto-rx, I said I might as well do a Clean & Rinse, so I talked to some people and they said add a bottle of auto-rx and extend the clean phase out to 5000 miles since I am using 100% sysnthetic oil. It even says on the auto-rx site that you can use any oil for the clean phase, but it is the rinse phase where cheap dino oil is best.
I plan on doing a 3000 mile rinse using a Motorcraft oil filter and cheap dino oil, followed by another 3000 mile rinse.
This car is not used for short trip driving, the air filter was changed when I got it home, and at 20,000 miles I put an AFE Pro Dry Air Filter and I have checked it and it's fine. I also changed the fuel filter at 20,000 miles.
When I checked the dipstick during the clean phase the oil was already starting to get dark, whereas when I did auto-rx on my El Camino the dipstick always looked fairly clear.
Of course the El Camino does not have an EGR Valve and the Marauder has 1, are Ford engines known for being tough on oil.
The reason I am sticking to these 5000 mile oil changes is because when I bought the car the guy had an extended warranty and transfered it over to me.
I know some people might think an EaO oil filter is a waste of an oil filter to be running for 5000 miles but I just feel this motor still may be breaking in. I also feel that the weight of this oil filter being saturated in oil points to the effectiveness of this oil filter as well as what auto-rx released into it.
My Dad has the same car with 20,000 miles and when I changed his oil and filter I noticed that his oil came out lighter and his oil filter was very light. He is using Mobil 1 5W-20 and the oil filter I took off was a Purolator Oil Filter.
On a side note, at 15,000 miles I had planned on either buying more Amsoil XL 5W-20 or Pennzoil Platinum, but I had a neighbor who was moving to Florida and since his driving days are over he gave me 2 cases of the Amsoil 0W-20 he was going to use on the Grand Marquis that he just sold. I wanted to give him some money, he just said this was for helping him out over the years.
Any thoughts would be appreciated.
I purchased a 2004 Mercury Marauder in December 2006 with 10,000 miles.
The original owner did oil and filter changes at 3000 miles and again at 8000 miles using Amsoil XL 5W-20 and NAPA oil filters.
I changed the oil when I got home since he told me the car had not been driven much in the last 5 months, I added Amsoil 5W-20 and a Amsoil EaO oil filter.
At 15,000 miles I added Amsoil 0W-20 and a EaO oil filter with a Maintenance Dose of auto-rx.
At 20,000 miles I changed the oil and it was pretty dark compared to the oil that I changed out at 15,000 miles and the oil filter was heavy. So I added Amsoil 0W-20 and another EaO oil filter followed by a Maintenance Dose of auto-rx.
At 26,000 miles I changed the oil and filter and the oil was very dark as well as the oil filter being fairly heavy.
I added the Amsoil 0W-20 and another Eao Oil filter and added a Maintenance Dose of auto-rx, I said I might as well do a Clean & Rinse, so I talked to some people and they said add a bottle of auto-rx and extend the clean phase out to 5000 miles since I am using 100% sysnthetic oil. It even says on the auto-rx site that you can use any oil for the clean phase, but it is the rinse phase where cheap dino oil is best.
I plan on doing a 3000 mile rinse using a Motorcraft oil filter and cheap dino oil, followed by another 3000 mile rinse.
This car is not used for short trip driving, the air filter was changed when I got it home, and at 20,000 miles I put an AFE Pro Dry Air Filter and I have checked it and it's fine. I also changed the fuel filter at 20,000 miles.
When I checked the dipstick during the clean phase the oil was already starting to get dark, whereas when I did auto-rx on my El Camino the dipstick always looked fairly clear.
Of course the El Camino does not have an EGR Valve and the Marauder has 1, are Ford engines known for being tough on oil.
The reason I am sticking to these 5000 mile oil changes is because when I bought the car the guy had an extended warranty and transfered it over to me.
I know some people might think an EaO oil filter is a waste of an oil filter to be running for 5000 miles but I just feel this motor still may be breaking in. I also feel that the weight of this oil filter being saturated in oil points to the effectiveness of this oil filter as well as what auto-rx released into it.
My Dad has the same car with 20,000 miles and when I changed his oil and filter I noticed that his oil came out lighter and his oil filter was very light. He is using Mobil 1 5W-20 and the oil filter I took off was a Purolator Oil Filter.
On a side note, at 15,000 miles I had planned on either buying more Amsoil XL 5W-20 or Pennzoil Platinum, but I had a neighbor who was moving to Florida and since his driving days are over he gave me 2 cases of the Amsoil 0W-20 he was going to use on the Grand Marquis that he just sold. I wanted to give him some money, he just said this was for helping him out over the years.
Any thoughts would be appreciated.
